If we are to have legislation to allow employers to fire their staff easily then we should extend the same to have legislation to allow employers to hire easily as well; and by that I mean: cutting beaurocracy, cutting NI, reducing the working hours (so that employers can take on more staff and prevent individuals over-working), and whatever else can be done to give small businesses in the community a helping hand.

I am of the opinion that long working hours does not necessarily produce more wealth (I've experienced this myself throughout my work history), so I think that we could reduce the hours each person works and still keep wages roughly the same, given a moderate amount of organisation of production by the government instead of the motive of private profit which is driving unemployment up. The reduction in working hours would also improve people's happiness and well-being since they would have more leisure time and less stress, except perhaps for a very small minority who exhibit the asceticism of workaholism.

An end to a mandatory 90-day consultation period when a company is considering redundancy programmes. Instead it will suggest a standard 30-day period and an emergency five-day period if a firm is in severe distress

A cap on loss-of-earnings compensation for employees who make successful unfair dismissal claims

Reform of the rights that workers are allowed to "carry" to new employers when their companies are the subject of a takeover

Scrapping provisions in the Equality Act which make employers liable for claims from employees for "third-party harassment", such as customers making "sexist" comments to staff in a restaurant

Shifting responsibility for checking foreign workers' eligibility to work in the UK from employers to the Border Agency or the Home Office

So nothing really about unfair dismissal, employment tribunals, being able to fire people willy-nilly as Mr Cable would have you believe.

I have absolutely no idea what you mean when you say you can make hiring people easier by introducing shorter working hours without it affecting productivity or cost. I have a suspicion you've been on the bong, as it's nonsense frankly.

(Original post by Grey_Fox)
I don't think you've run a business is what I think.

Here are the main points:

An end to a mandatory 90-day consultation period when a company is considering redundancy programmes. Instead it will suggest a standard 30-day period and an emergency five-day period if a firm is in severe distress

A cap on loss-of-earnings compensation for employees who make successful unfair dismissal claims

Reform of the rights that workers are allowed to "carry" to new employers when their companies are the subject of a takeover

Scrapping provisions in the Equality Act which make employers liable for claims from employees for "third-party harassment", such as customers making "sexist" comments to staff in a restaurant

Shifting responsibility for checking foreign workers' eligibility to work in the UK from employers to the Border Agency or the Home Office

So nothing really about unfair dismissal, employment tribunals, being able to fire people willy-nilly as Mr Cable would have you believe.

I have absolutely no idea what you mean when you say you can make hiring people easier by introducing shorter working hours without it affecting productivity or cost. I have a suspicion you've been on the bong, as it's nonsense frankly.

By reducing the hours people work, the government can reduce unemployment significantly; and it must be done by government and not private enterprise. The perception is that people will earn less as they work less hours, but this is only the case because of a lack of proper organisation in terms of regulating productivity (i.e., to ensure as little over-productivity as possible), curbing the profit motive of private enterprise and large-scale industry which seeks to monopolize production in response to profit and efficiency rather than actual needs, and because of the silly notion of the morality of work.

We shouldn't be working longer for less money; we should be working less for a bit more money, and have more time to take up wider pursuits that make life richer. That can only be possible through the principles of social organisation from a central government largely unconcerned with profit motives, and one in which oversees the needs of the community owning to modern methods of production. Instead, we have a plutocratic system based upon a narrow utilitarian and imperial economistic view of free market capitalism. Finance has become too big to the extent that it is now crushing industry. No wonder unemployment is so high, and almost everyone who is in work is working longer and getting less out of it: the result of this is starvation and modern slavery

(Original post by Martyn*)
By reducing the hours people work, the government can reduce unemployment significantly; and it must be done by government and not private enterprise. The perception is that people will earn less as they work less hours, but this is only the case because of a lack of proper organisation in terms of regulating productivity (i.e., to ensure as little over-productivity as possible), curbing the profit motive of private enterprise and large-scale industry which seeks to monopolize production in response to profit and efficiency rather than actual needs, and because of the silly notion of the morality of work.

We shouldn't be working longer for less money; we should be working less for a bit more money, and have more time to take up wider pursuits that make life richer.

Well look at the unemployment figures, there are large increases in part time workers. Under this government more and more people are working part time. It's great that David Cameron's government is encouraging a lifestyle that's not all about money but places emphasis on having time to spend with family and friends and spiritual contemplation

(Original post by MagicNMedicine)
Well look at the unemployment figures, there are large increases in part time workers. Under this government more and more people are working part time. It's great that David Cameron's government is encouraging a lifestyle that's not all about money but places emphasis on having time to spend with family and friends and spiritual contemplation

There's 2 million people who are economically inactive. Please don't try to pull the wool over my eyes.